I believe in
rest. The Sabbath has been an important discipline in my life for a number of
years now. I am quick to recognize my limits and I know that if I don’t build
rest into my life, I will pay the price. I try to get 8 hours of sleep a night.
I hold to the view that God doesn’t need my help and He has been at work long
before I ever start my day, so I join Him in His work each morning.
With rest as
an expressed and practiced value I have grown in a lot in the last 10 years, I
forget sometimes how far I still have to go. God talked about daily and weekly
rest, but He also talked about extended times of rest (often connected to times
of remembering). While on vacation this week, I couldn’t remember the last time
I had an extended time of rest. Most often when I take a break from my life
overseas, I return to the States to see family. It is a fabulous time that is
so good for my heart. Yet, to use that time to the fullest, it is also usually
a time of fund development, recruiting, and networking. There are many hats I
am trying to wear while I am Stateside.
So when I
got a week that was just focused on rest, I didn’t know what to do. After our
first day, I was exhausted because I had tried to work off a to-do list of
“restful” items and had included too much. Even though the pace was slower than
at home, I realized I wasn’t resting. So I stopped right then and gave myself
permission to rest. This was harder than I anticipated. I realize how much of
my value I have connected with being a good investment who uses her time
wisely. However, as I took the time to sleep, read, journal, swim, and listen
to the ocean, I found space to remember who I am and who God is.
Rest helps
me gain perspective. I remember that the world still goes on without me. God is
still in control and I am not needed, but invited to participate in the work He
is doing. I remember life is a gift. There is space to see whether how I am
investing my life is really where God wants me to invest.
I delight in
work, but I am thankful for rest.
